1971 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible Custom | Must S on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Cadillac rushing update for laggy CUE infotainment system

BMW's innovative iDrive was introduced in 2001, and a dozen years later, automakers are still learning hard lessons about what consumers want in their infotainment systems. In response to owner feedback - and a few media drubbings - about the delayed and occasionally fickle responses of its CUE (short for Cadillac User Experience) system, Cadillac has told Wired that it's going to issue an update this year.
Coming for the XTS and ATS, the new software will mean quicker haptic feedback to driver inputs on the touchscreen and the buttons, and snappier responses on screen. Down the road, Cadillac's VP of marketing says that a different mix of screen controls and hard buttons is "something you'll be seeing in the future" - the system is presently a mix of touchscreen-based controls and capacitive-touch switchgear - there are no knobs or physical pushbuttons to speak of, and the omission of both has proven to be a divisive issue among consumers and industry pundits.
Cadillac hasn't provided a date for when the CUE update will be issued, but it has indicated that the service will be performed by dealers, not sent wirelessly.

Cadillac ELR regen on demand brakes win 2014 Green Car Technology award

Just like the Oscars, Green Car Journal decided a few years ago to up the number of nominees for its annual award. For the annual "Green Car of the Year" award, given out at the Los Angeles Auto Show each year, there are five finalists. For the "Green Car Technology" award, there are a fantastic ten. At the 2014 Washington Auto Show today, the Cadillac ELR and its regen on demand brakes managed to beat out the nine other finalists to claim the second annual "Green Car Technology" award. What is the purpose of the "Green Car Technology" award? Green Car Journal says it wants to reward "technologies that enable significantly improved environmental performance in vehicles today," which is why only fuel-saving technologies that were "in use on American highways during the award year" can be considered. The Caddy's brakes beat out the Acura Sport Hybrid SH-AWD powertrain, the Audi 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine, the BMW carbon-fiber passenger shell from the i3, the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine used by Ford, the plug-in hybrid powertrain in the Honda Accord, Hyundai's hydrogen fuel cell technology, the regenerative brakes in the Mazda i-ELOOP, the plug-in hybrid powertrain used in some Porsche models and, finally, the Ram 3.0-Liter EcoDiesel engine. Last year, Green Car Journal gave Mazda's Skyactiv technology the inaugural Green Car Technology award. Cadillac ELR Regen On Demand Wins 2014 Green Car Technology Award Green Car Journal Lauds Cadillac's Electric Car Tech at Washington Auto Show WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadillac's innovative Regen on Demand technology has taken top honors as the winner of Green Car Journal's 2014 Green Car Technology Award™. The prestigious award was presented at a Green Car Journal press conference during the Washington Auto Show's second Policy Day. "Cadillac has cleverly evolved a common electric-drive efficiency system into an intriguing feature that adds a new dimension to the driving experience," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. "Ever-increasing efficiency is crucial to our driving future, yet efficiency itself is not an attraction for a great many car buyers.

GM announces 3 new recalls affecting 1.7M vehicles in North America [w/video]

Still embroiled in the ongoing ignition switch recall, General Motors announced today three more discrete recalls, affecting a grand total of 1,546,900 vehicles in the US. The Detroit News reports that some 1.7 million vehicles are affected overall in North America. The first and largest of the trio of new recalls concerns some 1.18-million Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers from the 2008-2013 model years, Chevrolet Traverse from 2009-2013 (pictured above) and Saturn Outlook vehicles from 2008-2010. All of the crossover utilities may have an issue with the wiring harness for their seat-mounted side airbags. Apparently, the vehicles are equipped with a Service Air Bag warning light that, if ignored, "will eventually result in the non-deployment of the side impact restraints." Those restraints include the side airbags, a front-center airbag if the vehicle is so equipped and seatbelt pretensioners. Dealers of affected vehicles will be instructed to remove driver and passenger side airbag wiring harness connectors, and then "splice and solder the wires together." The second recall affects 303,000 Chevrolet Express (pictured right) and GMC Savana vans from model years 2009-2014, and with gross vehicle weights under 10,000 pounds. Said vehicles do not comply with a head impact requirement for unrestrained occupants, and will need a reworking of the instrument panel material to be sent back on the road. It doesn't sound as though there's a quick fix for this one, as the GM press release states: "Unsold vehicles have been placed on a stop delivery until development of the solution has been completed and parts are available." Finally, the third recall affects 63,900 Cadillac XTS luxury sedans from model years 2013 and 2014. A brake booster pump may be susceptible to corrosion by way of the relay, potentially causing and electrical short, overheating, melting of plastic components and even engine fires. GM says it is aware of two engine fires in unsold XTS models and two cases of melted parts. Repairs for the issues affecting the XTS have not not mentioned by GM in the release. The Detroit News is also reporting that along with news of the triple-recall, GM is taking a $300-million credit to help pay for the repair costs, and to deal with the ongoing costs associated with the ignition switch recall. In an attempt to explain just what GM has been doing in the face of these very serious issues, newly minted CEO Mary Barra has addressed the issues in a new video.